By Jill MacDonald

Many years ago, I read Leslie Householder’s book Hidden Treasures. At the time, I was in the thick of a situation that felt really bad. I couldn’t see it as anything but bad—until I got to the chapter on the Law of Relativity. The way Leslie explained it shifted everything. Her words helped me view my challenge through a different lens, and for the first time, I saw that maybe… it wasn’t as hopeless as it seemed. That new perspective changed my thinking so much that I actually started to see my situation in an entirely new way. And in the end? I received exactly what I had been hoping for.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up to the part that felt like the end of the world.

When I started reading Leslie’s book, I was not in a great head space. I had just made a decision out of fear—and if you’ve ever done that, you know it usually doesn’t lead anywhere good. I had signed a contract that required three monthly payments. It was a big financial commitment, and I chose the payment plan because I didn’t have the full amount up front. I convinced myself the money would show up when I needed it.

The first payment went through just fine. But then month two rolled around… and the money didn’t. A couple of weeks passed—still nothing. The person I had made the agreement with started asking when they’d be paid. I didn’t know what to say, but I promised they’d have it before the end of the month.

Whew. Crisis averted… temporarily. But really, all I’d done was press “snooze” on the panic.

I talked to my husband, hoping he’d have an idea, but he didn’t. I racked my brain for days, and nothing of value came to mind—until suddenly, I did think of something: my minivan. I could take out a title loan, and that would cover it!

My husband wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but I pushed, and eventually he agreed. For a moment, I felt relief. It felt like the answer I’d been searching for. But in reality? I’d just traded one problem for another.

With the loan, I was able to make the payments and fulfill the original contract. I received the services I had paid for, and that part was done. But soon enough, I was in trouble again.

Now I was locked into a contract with the title loan company. I’d paid off one obligation only to create another—with even more pressure. I paid the first month, but by the second, guess what? Yep—I was short again.

I avoided their calls for a while, but eventually it caught up to me. One day they came and repossessed my van. I was devastated. I hadn’t had that van for very long, and now it was gone.

My husband reached out to the loan company. They said we could get the van back—if we paid everything we owed plus extra fees. They gave us a deadline. It came and went. We still didn’t have the money. The van went to auction.

I was crushed.

And yet… it was right then, while I was reading Leslie's book, that everything began to shift.

The chapter on the Law of Relativity included a story about a pioneer woman who crossed the plains with her family. Her husband became gravely ill and died. That very same day, one of her children passed away too.

When I read that story, I sobbed. It hit me so hard.

Suddenly, in the light of her experience, my own didn’t seem quite as devastating. I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t losing everything. I still had so much to be grateful for. That moment was when it really clicked: the Law of Relativity is all about how we choose to view our circumstances. And I decided—I chose—to see mine differently.

That night, I knelt in prayer with a full and grateful heart. I thanked God for everything I still had. And I offered up a quiet request: Please, help me get the van back. Then I let it go. I placed it completely in His hands.

Not long after, I found out the van hadn’t sold at auction after all—and we were able to get it back.

I will always be grateful to Leslie for writing that book. It taught me the laws and how to apply them. It helped me see what I couldn’t see before, and it changed the outcome of that difficult chapter in my life.

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